The Rock
by ShadowShowSandra
Summary: A different perspective on how certain events might have unfolded in an alternate universe. [10x01 filler and spoilers]
1. The Rock (a)

**A/N:** see part "b"

**Written:** August 15th, 2013

**Spoilers:** 10x01

**Disclaimer**: I wish I did but alas, I do not own New Tricks, Sandra, Gerry, Brian, Steve, Wall to Wall or the BBC.

**==== The Rock (a) ====**

I came down to breakfast this morning to find Steve and Gerry already sitting at a table. Steve called out and waved me over when I walked right past them. To be honest, I was expecting both of them to still be in bed with a hangover.

We've been sitting her for nearly fifteen minutes and they've barely said a word to me or each other. They just keep giving each other odd looks when they think I'm not looking. I don't doubt that they disobeyed my orders and had a night out last night, drinking and probably a bit of gambling. Gerry, I can trust with that now, he's done well over the last few years to curb his addiction; but trusting Gerry with Steve…not so sure about that. They're both as bad as each other. Now it's like having two Gerrys in the office, isn't one enough? Steve, Gerry and a bar…lots of bars, away from home, judging from their past form, I really should know better. The fact, however, that they had both been up and ready to meet me for breakfast, quite frankly shocks and impresses me.

Taking a sip of my coffee, I glance over at Steve, then Gerry – they exchange a look again then quickly feign interest in their food – they don't look hung over or tired, they seem jittery actually, like they've had too much caffeine. I decide to call them on it. Maybe they'll stop acting all weird when they know I'm not angry and won't tear them new arseholes. They seemed to have behaved themselves, whatever they got up to last night, how can I be mad?

Gerry doesn't even try denying it. Maybe we've been working together too long and he knows I have a highly developed sense of bullshit, especially where it concerns him. Steve just nods when I look at him for confirmation. Then I catch Gerry pilfering a sausage off his plate and stuffing it in his pocket. We stare at each other for a moment; he tells me he's going to save it for later as a snack. We've never been away together before maybe he always acts like this. It's not like there's nowhere around here to have lunch later. I shake my head. Gerry's now wrapping up a croissant in a napkin. I tell him he can come with me to check out Truman when we're done here. He gets up from the table, grabbing a butter off the plate, announcing he has to have a shower and he'll meet me out the front in fifteen. I am about to complain but am silenced as I watch him put the butter in the bread basket and grab the whole basket off the table instead.

I feel Steve watching me, as I watch Gerry disappear back inside.

"What exactly did you two get up to last night?" I ask, not really expecting details.

"Oh, you know, a few drinks, hit the tables, didn't have a late night, promise." Steve replies in the exuberant tone he apparently woke up with.

I wonder for a moment if they'd met some poor local women.

Then I wish I hadn't wondered that.

I finish the last of my coffee and get up to leave when my phone goes off. It's Cruz. If he's calling about Steve and Gerry's antics last night, I will kill both of them. Luckily, he just wants to get together now to discuss what direction our investigation is going to take today; no doubt to make sure we won't be treading on more toes and stirring shit. I tell Steve to check in with me later and maybe we can all have lunch. Then I head upstairs to get a move on from Gerry and tell him our change of plans, _he'll be thrilled_.

I knock on Gerry's door and am surprised when it opens almost right away. I half expect to see some half-naked woman answer. I may as well be that half-naked woman the way Gerry was staring at me, surprised to see me there.

"Shouldn't you be in the shower?"

He's standing with a hand against the doorframe and one holding the door, it doesn't look like he'd just stepped out the shower but he's blocking me from coming in. Maybe there is some half-naked woman in there.

"Christ Gerry, you don't have a woman in there do you? I told you and Steve to behave."

"I wish!" He mutters jokingly, as he slips out into the hallway, closing the door behind him. Then he grabs hold of my arm and leads me in the direction of the stairs.

"Last night…room's a mess, blame the scotch and the Mediterranean climate, entirely Steve's fault." Gerry admitted.

"Entirely!" I repeat, incredulously.

"Listen," Gerry starts, as we reach the top of the stairs and he lets go of my arm. "Let me buy you dinner tonight, you can keep an eye on me."

"What about Steve?"

"Hot date." he almost groans.

I look at him and resist the urge to laugh; Outstanding Standing was slipping.

"Can't have you all alone, this far from home then, now can we? You may take me to dinner."

"Lucky me!" He lets out a sigh, I suspect is relief.

"Lucky _me_!"


	2. The Rock (b)

**A/N:** After watching 10x01 last night my brain had an utter spazz with all these random ideas of how scenes should have been and what happened _here_ and _there _in an alt. Tricks-tastic universe (aka my deluded head) so…I have 2 maybe 3 ideas which I aim to write this week. They probably should be read in order, but I will be writing them out of order because the idea for "b" is this first idea I had and is just oozing to be typed; though they should be fine to be read as standalone 'filler' pieces too.

**Written:** August 4th, 2013

**Spoilers:** pretty heavy 10x01 obviously

**Disclaimer**: I wish I did but alas, I do not own New Tricks, Sandra, Gerry, Brian, Steve, Wall to Wall or the BBC.

**==== The Rock (b) ====**

_A/N: this piece assumes Sandra is not privy to Brian's arrival. Also, that the casino is still onsite._

Steve thought he'd sneak on downstairs for a drink or three before ordering room service and having a quiet night in, like he was supposed to. He'd be having drinks with Gerry, like they'd done the previous night but Gerry had texted him earlier and said he had something to take care of. Steve assumed it was to do with their new dilemma _Brian_, who they'd run into yesterday, and who they were trying to keep away from Sandra.

Steve was about to head over to the bar when he noticed Sandra, sitting alone at a table. He had to pass her to get to the bar, or cause a scene making his way through several tables of patrons already eating dinner. He went straight over to her table.

"Hot date tonight?"

He realized he'd been spending far too much time with Gerry if he thought he could pull one over on her. But off he went.

Sandra put her empty wine glass back down on the table.

"The only thing that's hot here tonight is the dinner I'm _not_ eating."

"You're not waiting for Cruz are you?"

Sandra shook her head and sighed, bored and hungry.

"Gerry, actually. I'm surprised he's not with you."

_Gerry had invited her to dinner to get her away from his room earlier this morning. Smooth, Gerry, smooth! And now you leave her waiting for god knows how long, way to make her suss Gerry._

Now it was Steve's turn to shake his head. Gerry was probably not the best master for this grasshopper.

"He blew me off for you actually, no quiet night in for us tonight. Haven't seen him since this afternoon." Steve offered up honestly.

Sandra gestured towards the chair for him to join her.

"I'll get you a refill first."

She didn't object. Steve went over to the bar and ordered her another white wine and a scotch for himself.

As they sipped their respective beverages, they talked about Truman and the case. The mood took a left turn into the awkward when they both called each other on their tells.

"Gerry told me you and Charlie had broken up?" Sandra tried to change the focus to Steve not her.

"Oh did he now..." Steve really didn't want to talk about himself and Charlie anymore than Sandra wanted to talk about Truman.

"You know," Steve began, attempting to swing the conversation in a slightly different circle, "the first time I came to work with your unit, the guys and I were talking…"

"About?" Sandra wasn't sure she wanted to know where this conversation was heading, but Gerry still hadn't shown up or bothered to call so Steve was someone to talk to.

"You." He paused, "ever been married?"

"Once, a long, long time ago. Why?"

"The guys had no idea, what do you all talk about for 9 years in your down time, work?"

Sandra shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of wine.

"You?" Sandra asked. _They didn't always talk about work did they?_

"Nah, not for me. What about Gerry?"

She tried to remember 9 years worth of conversations outside of work, she'd know Jack and Mary, and Brian and Esther, Gerry and his harem of women, his ex wives, his daughters, his one night stands…"

"Oh yeah Gerry's been married 500 times…and divorced that many…" She smiled, thinking herself pretty funny. She admired him though and the relationships he had with each of his exes. She definitely had nothing to do with hers, and there was only one ex-husband on her resume.

She noticed Steve shaking his head and was still talking to her.

"I meant you and Gerry."

"What about me and Gerry?" Sandra was confused, it _was_ her second glass of wine and she had yet to eat dinner. She was going to kill him when she saw him.

"You ever had a thing?"

Sandra let out a laugh, "you're joking right?"

She shook her head and downed the rest of her wine.

_Gerry and I, ridiculous…no._

Just as she put her glass back down on the table her phone went off with a text alert, then Steve's did likewise.

"Gerry?" Steve asked innocently?

"Charlie?" Sandra smirked.

Both of them grabbed their phones to see a message from Gerry.

Steve immediately got up, telling Sandra he had to go. Gerry needed him to keep watch over Brian who was over in the casino amassing a small fortune. Sandra thanked him for his company and the wine and told him she'd see him early in the morning. Gerry's text to her had said he'd be there in a minute.

Gerry waited for Steve join them in the casino before heading off to incur Sandra's wrath.

"How much wine she had?"

"Probably not enough to deal with you Standing!"

Gerry let out an audible groan and left.

Steve might have had a way with the ladies, Gerry did too, but they were from two different schools. Steve had yet to crack Sandra, judging by Gerry's observations. Steve was still the "new" guy and could easily piss her off. Gerry liked this, because it meant that Sandra wasn't always pissing on him.

Tangible leads. Booze. Food.

Just because he knew how to deal with her didn't mean he always did, or could.

Since they weren't technically working at this present moment, and he had no new information on the case, and she'd already hit up a few glasses of wine, food it was. Gerry had called ahead at the restaurant and ordered their dishes_, after he'd finally found Brian_. They should be ready when he got down there.

Sandra was flipping her phone between her fingers and the table when Gerry came up behind her.

"Evening Guv, gorgeous night to be out isn't it?" Gerry said cheerily.

"Where the bloody hell have you been?"

She turned in her chair, giving him a look that might have broken a weaker man.

"I've been waiting here nearly an hour, you're lucky Steve …"

She stopped as she watched him put down a plate in front of her, a plate for himself, then sat in the chair Steve had only just vacated. She closed her eyes and she inhaled the aroma.

"Honey roast duck for the lady," Gerry announced in an over the top French accent, "and local sea bass for the sir."

"Nicely played, how'd you know what I wanted?"

But before Gerry could answer, a waiter came over and delivered two glasses of sparkling water to their table, taking Sandra's empty wine glasses away.

"We're here to work not drink!" Gerry imitated Sandra and her statement from the day before.

"Yeah, well, your fault there Gerry Standing. You're lucky I can be bought with food."

Gerry held up his hands in innocent surrender.

"So where the hell were you?"

"I promised you dinner, so eat, _then_ we'll discuss work."

"You buying me dessert?"

Gerry nodded.

"Ok," Sandra agreed and dug into her duck.

They didn't speak again until she was done.

===/===


End file.
